It's a real treat to go out in September. Would be even more of a treat to go out in January! But having the fall objects nice and high and the winter objects rising a bit it real nice.

I don't think I'll go back to SkyView Acres in July, August or September as the wasps out there are so bad it really takes the relaxation out of the daytime. I was cooped up in the RV again. Booo!

Even still, I had some wonderful times with good friends old and new. Richard, Greg, Dan and others I frequent star party outings with are always great because I rarely see them outside of astronomy events. Sharing image target choices and encouraging and helping each other is such a great part of imaging together.

This event I had a special treat. Margaret McCrea who is an avid visual observer came over and shared some wonderful views with me. Tricky galaxy groups where there were multiple galaxies in the field that took quite some time to identify them all. One view got quite convoluted with NGC 1325 being identified as 2 different galaxies (1325 and 1325A??). Will the real NGC 1325 please pop into view!

In my imaging session it was a rough few nights because it was so hot. Both cameras running at 70 degrees F... waaaa... I want a cooled CCD so badly! The shots I took that I used 5 minute subs are pretty decent. The ones I used 10 minute subs are decent in the modded camera and nearly a loss in the stock camera. I had to smack the image with far more noise reduction then I'd like and even then I was left with quite splotchy images. My backgrounds are darker in general because of this to try and hide some of that. Oh well. Serves me right for not using the Peltier cooling chamber.

This was also a good lesson in being prepared. I didn't get a chance to prepare a full set of imaging targets per setup, so there was a lot of random selections in this set.

Gallery From This Outing

Heart and Soul - 4 Panel Mosaic

This is my favorite shot of the 3 nights. I shot 2 panels each night at 3 hours per panel. I'm pleased as punch with the results.

I wasn't actually planning on shooting this because I've got a pretty good shot of it, but I thought I'd try it anyway. The targets in Orion were really a bit too low to shoot, but I shot them all the same!

I was helping some other guys with their imaging rigs, so I stuck the scope on M33 and shot it while I helped the others. I wasn't planning on shooting M33 and certainly not for 4 hours. Oh well.

Scope: Vixen ED103S with WO Flat 4 0.8x FR/FF

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G with GoTo

Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and PHD Guiding

Guide Scope: William Optics ZenithStar 66

Camera: Canon EOS 1000D

Special Settings: None

ISO: 800

Exposure: 4 hours (48 x 300s)

Processing Software: Acquired in Nebulosity with High Dither, Calibration and Stacking in PixInsight, Levels/Curves/Enhancements in PixInsight & Photoshop

Support Files: 20 flats, 20 bias, 20 darks

M45

Similarly to M33, I wasn't planning on shooting this target, but Richard was shooting it and I was messing around, so I just shot it as well. This is what happens when you go to a star party with no specific imaging list of targets and having the nights laid out ahead of time.

Scope: Vixen ED103S with WO Flat 4 0.8x FR/FF

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G with GoTo

Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and PHD Guiding

Guide Scope: William Optics ZenithStar 66

Camera: Canon EOS 1000D

Special Settings: None

ISO: 800

Exposure: 3 hours (36 x 300s)

Processing Software: Acquired in Nebulosity with High Dither, Calibration and Stacking in PixInsight, Levels/Curves/Enhancements in PixInsight & Photoshop

Support Files: 20 flats, 20 bias, 20 darks

M78

I've been waiting years to get a good shot of M78... and this isn't it. It was too low and the night was too hot, but even still, it's my best shot of it to date. One day I'll get a personal best that I'm really well pleased with.

Scope: Vixen ED103S with WO Flat 4 0.8x FR/FF

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G with GoTo

Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and PHD Guiding

Guide Scope: William Optics ZenithStar 66

Camera: Canon EOS 1000D

Special Settings: None

ISO: 800

Exposure: 3.5 hours (21 x 600s)

Processing Software: Acquired in Nebulosity with High Dither, Calibration and Stacking in PixInsight, Levels/Curves/Enhancements in PixInsight & Photoshop

Support Files: 20 flats, 20 bias, 20 darks

M101

This shot is another random choice based on what someone else was shooting.

Scope: Vixen ED103S with WO Flat 4 0.8x FR/FF

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G with GoTo

Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and PHD Guiding

Guide Scope: William Optics ZenithStar 66

Camera: Canon EOS 1000D

Special Settings: None

ISO: 800

Exposure: 2 hours (12 x 600s)

Processing Software: Acquired in Nebulosity with High Dither, Calibration and Stacking in PixInsight, Levels/Curves/Enhancements in PixInsight & Photoshop

Support Files: 20 flats, 20 bias, 20 darks

Owl Cluster

While I waited for M78 to rise, I thought I'd shoot an old favorite.

Scope: Vixen ED103S with WO Flat 4 0.8x FR/FF

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G with GoTo

Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and PHD Guiding

Guide Scope: William Optics ZenithStar 66

Camera: Canon EOS 1000D

Special Settings: None

ISO: 800

Exposure: 1 hour (12 x 300s)

Processing Software: Acquired in Nebulosity with High Dither, Calibration and Stacking in PixInsight, Levels/Curves/Enhancements in PixInsight & Photoshop

Support Files: 20 flats, 20 bias, 20 darks

Rose Bud

I've had this on my list several times over the years, but I've always bailed because it's small in my field and to get the extended red and dark nebulosity it needs loads of time. But, I was on a random shot weekend, so I added it to the list. it's about what I expected for 2 hours.

Scope: Vixen ED103S with WO Flat 4 0.8x FR/FF

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G with GoTo

Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and PHD Guiding

Guide Scope: William Optics ZenithStar 66

Camera: Canon EOS 1000D;

Special Settings: None

ISO: 800

Exposure: 2 hours (12 x 600s)

Processing Software: Acquired in Nebulosity with High Dither, Calibration and Stacking in PixInsight, Levels/Curves/Enhancements in PixInsight & Photoshop

Support Files: 20 flats, 20 bias, 20 darks

Sadr / Butterfly Nebula

I want to eventually get a large mosaic of the greater IC1318 region. I don't know if this is the first panel in that overall project, but it's still a cool targer all the same.